Sophia, Sonic, and Tom are now on the open road as they drive out of Green Hills. "Alright, pal," Tom speaks up as he drives past the sign. "You need to start talking right now. Who are you? WHAT are you?"
"I'm a hedgehog! I feel like that's obvious. And I'm in big trouble," He looks away, his ears falling.
"Oh, you're in big trouble? You're not the one who punched some government weirdo back there," Tom retorts back. "Oh. Sophia, he was hiding out in our garage, that's how I met him. I decided to help him out back there when that guy came to our house."
"Oh," She nods in understanding. "Okay...got that part...but still, how is he on Earth?! I'm literally looking at the Blue Devil!" She gestures to Sonic, who looks over his shoulder.
"That's a long story I'll tell you later, Sunshine!" She blinks in confusion at the nickname before he turns back to her father. "And you think you have problems? I lost my rings!"
"Rings? What are you talking about?" Tom asks in confusion.
"Okay, rings are how all advanced cultures travel between worlds. And now mine are on top of a pointy building I've only ever seen on your skintight T-shirt!"
"Hey," Tom turns to him, offended, and Sophia chuckles.
"I told you to get the large, Dad. He's got a point, that thing is way tight on you."
"So, I'd like you guys to take me to San Francisco so I can get back my rings and use them to go to the Mushroom Planet," Sonic tells them with a determined look.
"...Mushroom planet," Tom responds after a few seconds.
"Yes!" Sonic answers eagerly.
"Right," He pulls over to the side of the road. "Okay, pal," He opens the door for Sonic. "Out you go."
"I'm sorry, what?" Sonic asks in confusion, Sophia turning to him.
"Dad," She says in a warning tone.
"Look, this is the worst possible time for me to get myself or my daughter into trouble, okay? You asked me to save your life, I saved your life. Now, please, go find your rings. And your mushroom land. Hopefully I'm gonna wake up in a hospital bed and the doctor's gonna tell me that my colonoscopy was a big success. Okay? So, goodbye."
"Okay," Sonic crawls out of the truck. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye." However, Sonic is still standing there and not moving. "...Why aren't you leaving?"
"I don't know where San Francisco is," He tells Tom plain and simple.
"It's west."
"West?" He asks curiously.
"Straight shot, can't miss it."
"Fine. That's cool. I'm totally cool saying goodbye now," He speeds off west, shocking both Sophia and Tom.
"Oh. He also has super speed. Okay then," Sophia blinks at the speed he went. Sonic comes back to the truck a few seconds later, soaking wet with seaweed over him, along with a fish on his head. The two gasp at his appearance.
"So, as I crashed into the cold, dark water of the Pacific, I realized a few things. A, I have no idea where I'm going. B, salt water stings. C, I shouldn't even be on this planet right now, but I am. Why?! Because you shot me!"
"What?!" Sophia turns to her dad.
"I know."
"You shot me!" He reiterates angrily.
"Alright, I heard you the first time. You don't have to...pile it on. Good grief."
Sophia gasps in realization. "You didn't. Not Mom's tranq gun!"
"It was on instinct!" He defends to his daughter.
"Dad!" She shouts angrily. "You weren't supposed to FIRE it! Ugh," She pinches her nose in disbelief.
"I'm wet. I'm cold," Sonic counts off. "There's a fish on my head! And clearly, I'm not going to be able to do this on my own."
Sophia glances at him and leans in towards Tom. "Look, Dad...I might not know the full story of what's going on here, but he really needs our help. I mean, he came to you for a reason, right?" She whispers to him.
He glances at the hedgehog, the fish falling off the top of his head. He then looks back to his daughter.
"Is this because it's the right thing to do, or because you're never gonna let me live it down that I shot him?"
"It's the right thing to do...but yes, it's mostly because you shot him. Good luck explaining that to Mom, by the way," She smirks in amusement, pointing to him.
"Yeah, thanks," He replies to her sarcastically before sighing in defeat. "Alright, get in the truck."
"Really?" Sonic shakes himself off really quickly, which poofs up his fur. "You guys are gonna help me?!"
Sophia giggles at his appearance, covering her mouth with her hand. "Well, I was always gonna say yes regardless of my father, but yeah."
"I guess it is a little bit my fault that all this is happening to you," Tom admits to the hedgehog.
"Not a little bit," Sonic corrects him. "Entirely. It is ENTIRELY your fault."
"Okay, it's entirely my fault. Are you coming?"
"Yes," Sonic shakes himself off again so that his fur goes back to the way it was. He climbs into the car and closes the door. "Road trip! Whoop, whoop!"
Tom sighs again at the situation. "What am I doing?"
They drive past the hills, as Sonic had told them the whole story. "Alright, there's gonna be rules on this trip. Number one, do exactly as I say all the time, both of you. Got it?"
"Got it, Donut Lord," Sonic salutes at him and turns to Sophia. "You know, cause he eats donuts after he talks to them if they're out of line."
She laughs at the nickname. "That's perfect! I should start using that."
"Would you stop with the 'Donut Lord'? And if you start calling me that, I'm gonna call you Munchkin again."
"Ugggh," Sophia looks away in embarrassment. "You haven't called me that since I was 12..."
"I have a name. It's Tom," He introduces himself to the hedgehog. "And this is my daughter."
"Sophia," She waves to him.
"I'm Sonic," He jerks a thumb to himself.
"Sonic...Sonic. So you've been spying on us all for years," Tom turns to him in surprise.
"I mean, I wouldn't call it spying. We were all just hanging out, only I wasn't invited and no one knew I was there," Sonic explains to the man.
"I can't believe Crazy Carl was right all this time!" Tom says in astonishment.
"Yeah. You should call him Super Observant Carl instead."
"Uh-huh," Tom would rather use that term loosely... "So what nickname did you have for Sophia again?" He knew Sonic had said it, but he couldn't remember it right now due to all of the craziness.
"Mm?" She looks up as Sonic looks flustered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Uhh, you know what? I-it's dumb, it's not important! But Munchkin is an adorable nickname!" He turns to look at Sophia with a smile. "Like you."
She blushes and clears her throat. "Thanks. And you are pretty cute for a hedgehog," She comments, petting him between his ears.
"Really?!" He smiles happily, trying not to purr. Her touch is just so gentle that he was trying to hold it back. Tom looks at them weirdly.
"Oh my god, stop the car right now!" Sonic suddenly exclaims, looking out the window.
"What, what?! What?"
"The World's Largest Rubber Band Ball? We gotta see it!" Sonic shouts in excitement upon seeing the passing sign.
"No. No. No, this is not some fun family road trip, okay? The government wants to dissect you and arrest me and Sophia. This is serious." Sonic just gives a smug smile, speeds out of the truck, and comes back a second later. He has a baseball cap on his head, along with some small rubber band balls.
"Eh, you're right. It was lame. Gift shop was cool, though!" He holds up a I Heart Rubber Band Balls mouse pad. "I got you a mouse pad, and here!" He tosses Sophia a silver headband that has rubber band balls decorated on it. "Got you this for you to wear. When are we gonna get there?"
He holds up a paddle ball and plays it at a very fast speed. He looks at Tom with a playful smile and Sophia laughs, putting on the headband. He honestly reminds her of herself whenever she and her family would go on a road trip.
"We will get there when we get there."
Tom pulls into a rest stop that's on the other side of town at night and he gets into a fueling station. He gets out and puts on a hat in case someone recognizes him. He walks to the other side of the truck. "Alright. I'm gonna go check in with Wade, see if he knows what's going on."
"You're gonna see Wade in that glass thing?" Sonic asks curiously, leaning against the dashboard. "What is it, a teleportation box?"
He looks behind him and then at the hedgehog. "It's a pay phone. It's mostly for drug dealers and fugitives from the law, which is us. Stay in the car, both of you. I don't want anybody seeing you. Sophia, make sure he doesn't run off."
"Yes, Dad," She rolls her eyes as she watches him leave.
"Ugh, fine."
Tom goes inside the pay phone while Sonic is playing around in the truck. He pretends that he's actually driving it and making engine noises. Sophia giggles as she pops up behind him and he pretends to beep it.
"Where to, miss?" He asks playfully and she looks out the windshield.
"To the stars," She points out the window and he looks up, seeing them.
"Wow...they're beautiful," He murmurs, glancing at her briefly. Just like her...
He glances to the side and gasps sharply as he sees a bunch of bikers. He then ducks his head, Sophia looking towards the bar. "Okay, okay. That is the coolest place on Earth, but you have to stay in the car!"
"Do you always talk to yourself?" The girl asks him curiously.
"Well, y-yeah..." He slowly peeks his head up and watches everything in front of him. He hyperventilates, fogging up the glass. He wipes it away to keep watching outside. The hedgehog fights his excitement as he rocks back and forth in the driver's seat.
"Be strong, be strong!"
Sophia sighs a bit, smiling as she shakes her head. She reaches forward and opens up the compartment above Sonic, revealing a pair of sunglasses.
"Go ahead. I know that feeling. I used to be like this when I was a kid."
"What about your dad?" He looks back at her and she smiles.
"I'll handle him. Go and have fun."
"Come with me!" He pleads with her happily and she glances to the place.
"Oh, I don't know..."
Sonic gives her puppy eyes and she chuckles, looking away. "Oh, Sonic! You're not gonna stop until I go, aren't you?"
"Nope!"
Tom waits as the phone rings. "Hello, Green Hills Police Department," Wade greets into the pay phone.
"Wade, it's me," Tom replies quickly from his spot.
"Hi. I'm so glad that you called. Uh, so, some guys came in asking some questions. Uh, they're a little creepy," He chuckles nervously to his friend, glancing away nervously. "Kind of reminded me of, uh, the guys from Men in Black, but not as likable or, uh, charming as Will Smith."
"Wait, what kind of questions?"
"Um, questions about...terrorism? Heh, I told them that I've gone ice fishing with Tom. He doesn't know how to make a bomb!" He laughs a little. "He can't even make like...bait in the cold!"
"Alright, Wade, listen to me," Tom warns him. "This is really important. Don't tell them that we talked, okay?"
He looks up to see Dr. Robotnik and Agent Stone staring at him, as they had already tracked down where Tom works. "You know, I think they already know."
Literally all of Robotnik's agents are in the police station. Robotnik grabs the phone from him. "Mr. Wachowski."
"Ugh, Tom," He corrects the man.
"I want you to know that the only person who ever punched me in the face was the school bully. He hit me in the cafeteria, causing a blunt-force contusion to the soft tissue surrounding my orbital bone. Humiliated me in front of the entire school! And do you know what I did in response?"
"Uh, I'm assuming that you reported him to the principal's office, cause, you know, that kind of behavior is kind of unacceptable," Tom tells him, shaking his head.
"No, I examined the inefficiency of a world where brawn trumped brain and I used technology to resolve that inefficiency. The boy ate his meals through a straw for a year." Wade looks up at him, a bit afraid. "And I have never lost a fight again. Until today."
"Hey, hooray for me and my daughter then, huh?" Tom replies jokingly.
"No, because you're about to become the bully with the straw! Your daughter hit me in the head with a basic cooking tool. She's not going to go unscathed either."
"Whatever your beef is, it's with me and me alone. Don't threaten my kid," Tom immediately gets defensive upon hearing that.
"How unnecessarily sweet. I'm coming for you and your daughter, Mr. Wachowski. And when I catch you both, I'll-"
Tom hangs up the pay phone, annoyed. "Hello? Hello? Hello, hello, hello?"
"I think he actually hung up, because I notice that the light isn't on," Wade speaks up, looking towards the phone.
"Thank you, Officer Brainfart," Robotnik insults him.
"If you give me a second, I can get an outside line-"
"No," The man interrupts with a condescending smile. "Don't be bothered. You just sit there and be u...seless," He leaves the room, followed by Stone and the rest of his agents.
"No one's gonna...erase my memory here?" Wade asks, but is ignored. "I will tell people about this!"
Tom walks over to the truck holding food. "Okay, not exactly the healthiest meal, but..." He notices that Sonic or Sophia aren't in the truck anymore. "Sonic? Soph?" He looks over to the biker bar and realizes that they might be in there.
"No, no, no, no, no!" He puts the food down on the car and rushes over.